In the sixth of this series of seminars, Dr Lynette Robertson, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow discusses neighbourhood green space and mental health and wellbeing: evidence on gender differences in relationships and exploring work status as a proxy for exposure.

Abstract

Neighbourhood green space (NGS) and mental health and wellbeing (MHWB): evidence on gender differences in relationships and exploring work status as a proxy for exposure

Understanding how green space – human health and wellbeing (HWB) relationships vary for population subgroups and in different contexts is critical to strengthening the epidemiological evidence on green space and delivering effective planning and design that will realise the full potential of green space to public health. Yet despite the vast body of literature on green space and HWB, few studies have specifically investigated gender differences in green space – HWB relationships, and researchers have only recently begun to attempt to incorporate variation in exposure in epidemiology studies. This talk highlights key findings of research which examined (i) gender differences in relationships between amount of green space in the local neighbourhood environment and mental health and wellbeing (MHWB), and (ii) potential factors underlying the observed gender differences in relationships. Work status was used as a simple ordinal proxy for potential time at home, and thus exposure to the local neighbourhood environment. The study was undertaken as part of the OPENspace Research Centre (ESALA, University of Edinburgh) component of the ‘GreenHealth’ research programme and focused on disadvantaged urban communities in Scotland. In addition to novel insights on green space and gender the research makes a number of recommendations for future green space epidemiology studies.